Michael Carter
Veteran
Got the Cavision loupe-style finder with the swingaway attachment - and the spacer plate for the t2i/550d.
I've been using a pair of cheap readers to focus better with the LCD (magnifies it enough to really see the sharpness) but the no-viewfinder thing is a killer in direct sun. Needed something in-stock for a commercial shoot outdoors next week, gave the Cavision a try. $160 + $28 for the 550d adapter plate.
People have complained about the 6x magnification - I think it's fine, I'd still like to try a 3x finder at some point.
It's a decent fit on my Cavision rails - however, I'm really using the wrong setup for a DSLR - I have the DV Rails setup, I need to get the "reversed" setup with the quick release. I swapped the plate 180 degrees where it attaches to the vertical support, so now the release screw is between the plate and the tripod mount - hard to unscrew it.
If you have a Cavision plate already, you can detach the swing-away and attach it to your plate; however, this wouldn't clear my follow focus lens gears, so I stacked it. With the adapter plate it's quite a stack - thankfully you can access the battery door, so I'm adapting a case so I can pack the whole rig fully assembled.
Cavision rod support stuff is pretty butch, and it's covered in tapped holes with plenty of adjustments, so you can tinker-toy all sorts of configurations together.
Here's the finder attached - you can see the stubby 550d plate underneath:
You can swing the finder away (it locks in place against the LCD) - you can also slide it fore & aft, so you can get a fair amount of clearance very quickly. Here it is opened up:
Negatives seem minor to me:
The rubber ring that softens the edges where it meets the LCD (and looks to be intended as a light seal?) is really loose - it has 4 tabs, but it's not a glove-tight fit to the finder; 4 drops of silicone should take care of that;
You really can't get a tight "seal" against the LCD - always some 1/32"-ish gap here & there. I've been bringing my old dark cloth from my 4x5 film days, if the sun gets in those cracks I'll just go Ansel Adams.
The biggest pros to me - very affordable. Quality seems fine for me. And you don't have to glue anything to the camera.
I'm shooting in the Hill Country Friday - Sunday next week, will be testing at the local lake in a day or two. So far so good.
By the way - the thing has some pretty intense barell distortion at the edges. If you're doing architectural shoots, that may drive you nuts.
I've been using a pair of cheap readers to focus better with the LCD (magnifies it enough to really see the sharpness) but the no-viewfinder thing is a killer in direct sun. Needed something in-stock for a commercial shoot outdoors next week, gave the Cavision a try. $160 + $28 for the 550d adapter plate.
People have complained about the 6x magnification - I think it's fine, I'd still like to try a 3x finder at some point.
It's a decent fit on my Cavision rails - however, I'm really using the wrong setup for a DSLR - I have the DV Rails setup, I need to get the "reversed" setup with the quick release. I swapped the plate 180 degrees where it attaches to the vertical support, so now the release screw is between the plate and the tripod mount - hard to unscrew it.
If you have a Cavision plate already, you can detach the swing-away and attach it to your plate; however, this wouldn't clear my follow focus lens gears, so I stacked it. With the adapter plate it's quite a stack - thankfully you can access the battery door, so I'm adapting a case so I can pack the whole rig fully assembled.
Cavision rod support stuff is pretty butch, and it's covered in tapped holes with plenty of adjustments, so you can tinker-toy all sorts of configurations together.
Here's the finder attached - you can see the stubby 550d plate underneath:
You can swing the finder away (it locks in place against the LCD) - you can also slide it fore & aft, so you can get a fair amount of clearance very quickly. Here it is opened up:
Negatives seem minor to me:
The rubber ring that softens the edges where it meets the LCD (and looks to be intended as a light seal?) is really loose - it has 4 tabs, but it's not a glove-tight fit to the finder; 4 drops of silicone should take care of that;
You really can't get a tight "seal" against the LCD - always some 1/32"-ish gap here & there. I've been bringing my old dark cloth from my 4x5 film days, if the sun gets in those cracks I'll just go Ansel Adams.
The biggest pros to me - very affordable. Quality seems fine for me. And you don't have to glue anything to the camera.
I'm shooting in the Hill Country Friday - Sunday next week, will be testing at the local lake in a day or two. So far so good.
By the way - the thing has some pretty intense barell distortion at the edges. If you're doing architectural shoots, that may drive you nuts.
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